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HISTORICAL NOVELS

 

Defending Hillsborough and Reconstructing Hillsborough tell the true story of a woman's cunning and bravery during the Civil War as she struggles to save her seven daughters and her only means of livelihood, the historic Orange Hotel.  This story is from the home front -- portraying the domestic experiences as the South endures this disastrous war and its aftermath in Historic Hillsborough, N.C.

Defending Hillsborough (ISBN # 1-929202-00-8)

Sarah Holeman is no pampered Southern belle.  When Henry Stroud proposes, she warns him, "God gave me a brain, and I intend to use it."  Little did she realize how her strengths and talents would be challenged to outwit her brother-in-law's  advances and threats, to raise seven children in the pre-Civil War South, to run the family hotel alone, and to outsmart Sherman's troops, who tried to loot and destroy the hotel to which she and Henry had devoted their lives.

In Defending Hillsborough, the recently widowed Sarah Stroud saves the historic Orange Hotel in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and keeps her husband's dream alive.  The hotel still stands today--as the "Colonial Inn"-- to attest to the strength and courage of a remarkable woman.

Reconstructing Hillsborough (ISBN # 1-929202-01-6)

 Sarah Stroud, the recently-widowed proprietor of the Orange Hotel is "allowed no time to mourn," as the people of Hillsborough, NC, are plunged into the turmoil of the Civil War peace talks--taking place outside of town. With Confederate and Union soldiers on all sides, Sarah and her daughters await news of General Johnston's surrender.  The long-awaited peace, however, comes with a price as Sarah and her family must feed, quarter, and nurse returning Confederate troops; witness the destruction, disease, and death left behind; endure increased taxes, federal officials, and martial law; and face a new menace--"The Invisible Empire."

In Reconstructing Hillsborough, suffering at last forges new ties and romance as Sarah's missing brother-in-law returns; her daughter finds a beau; Sarah is courted by a Union sergeant; and her brother-in-law, Cave, presents himself as a rival once again.  In the midst of the turmoil, Sarah is faced with a struggle to save the family business, this time from tax collectors and carpetbaggers.

Key Benefits

  • Through reading about Sarah and Henry Stroud's lives, the reader will understand the day-to-day lives of the average Southerner in the mid 1800's.
  • The reader will better understand the various issues facing the people of North Carolina before, during and after the Civil War.
  • The reader will also gain knowledge of the key events leading up to and including the Civil War in the Piedmont area of North Carolina.

Reviews and Readers' Comments

Click here for newspaper and magazine articles, reviews, and Readers Comments on the historical novels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Defending Hillsborough

Sarah Stroud

Henry Stroud

Colonial Inn

Reconstructing Hillsborough